


Dear Hearts and Gentle People

by fiskal



Category: Fallout 4
Genre: Brief Mention of Violence, F/F, Fluff, Hurt/Comfort, Somebody please give Piper a hug
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-01-29
Updated: 2017-01-29
Packaged: 2018-09-20 15:08:10
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,853
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9497687
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/fiskal/pseuds/fiskal
Summary: An encounter in the Commonwealth leaves Piper distraught, but Nora suspects there might be an underlying concern that needs to be addressed.





	

**Author's Note:**

> A/N: This is my first fanfic, so any comments, kudos, or helpful criticisms are greatly appreciated. Thanks for reading :)

***

_The Commonwealth had been sweltering. The sweat droplet that rolled down Nora’s forehead and into her eye had almost caused her to be a victim of a sniper’s deadly aim had she not stopped in her tracks to wipe her face on her sleeve. The bullet had whizzed by, narrowly missing Nora’s head and prompting an immediate reaction from Piper who dragged her to cover behind a pile of debris; they had unwittingly stumbled into a Raider ambush._

_The attackers had been easy to pick off. It was only a small group of grunts, probably new recruits. The sniper was difficult to locate, being the only survivor remaining in the hail of gunfire. Nora and Piper were pinned as bullets flew by, waiting for their opportunity to retaliate._

_Piper scanned the rooftops searching for the assailant when she spotted a wanderer in tattered rags crouched under a staircase. They had apparently been caught up in the ambush as well, eyes wild and breathing rapidly as the anticipation of another gunshot hung in the air. Piper attempted to get the wanderer’s attention by waving her hands in their direction, but to no avail. They were too far away._

_The sniper continued to shoot at the debris pile, shouting obscenities and curses as each bullet failed to hit a target. A flash on the rooftop alerted Piper to the sniper’s location as she signaled to Nora, ready to fire when she could get a clear shot. On the roof, the sound of clicking and bullet shells clattering onto bricks could be heard as the attacker attempted to reload the rifle. Nora, still trying to aim, couldn’t get a clear shot with all the fidgeting on the roof._

_Piper peeked around the pile ready to fire when the sound of running footsteps caught her off guard; the wanderer had taken the sound of reloading as an opportunity to escape, running out from under the stairs into the street. Piper’s expression quickly turned to dread as she frantically waved her arms warning the wanderer to go back when a shot rang out._

_Piper flinched as a second shot rang out in response to the first, this time from Nora as she landed a bullet in the sniper’s head. Nora looked up from her viewfinder to see Piper running into the street, where the lifeless body of the wanderer lay soaked in blood._

_The sniper had shot them square in the chest._

_Nora ran to Piper, who had crouched down to get a closer look. Piper removed the rags from the wanderer’s face, dark hair spilling out from under the wraps. A young girl, looking no more than 12 had been the victim of being in the wrong place at the wrong time._

_Piper’s expression had gone cloudy as Nora reached her hand out, helping her up. Piper held her gaze on the body for several seconds as Nora gently squeezed her shoulder in quiet understanding._

***

Piper and Nora arrived in Diamond City late that night. They headed for Home Plate, exhausted from the journey back.

Once inside, Piper exhaled and took off her coat, tossing it on the couch.

“Hey Blue, I think I’m gonna turn in for the night. Join me upstairs when you’re ready to turn in too.” She placed a small kiss on Nora’s cheek and began to walk to the staircase.

“Okay, Pipes. I’ll be right there after I finish packing some supplies to bring to Sanctuary tomorrow. Love you.”

“Love you too.” she called from the stairs.

Nora picked up the coat, folded it neatly, and sat down to scrawl out a list of supplies on a scrap piece of paper. Upstairs, she could hear Piper turn on the radio and adjust the volume down. She liked to listen to the radio on nights when she couldn’t sleep, often times curled up with a comic book until she finally drifted off.

The faint sound of music drifted down from the second floor, carrying the sad melody of Skeeter Davis’s “The End of the World” into the room. Nora paused, listening and thinking about Piper. She hadn’t said more than two words to her today after the ambush.

Setting aside the hastily compiled supply list, Nora stood up and made her way upstairs. She stopped at the top step and saw Piper sitting on the bed, facing the wall with her head held up by her hand.

“Pipes?”

Turning around, Piper sat up.

“Hey. I’m sorry if the radio’s too loud. I just…couldn’t sleep.”

“It doesn’t bother me.” Nora replied. She stepped into the room and walked to Piper, taking a seat next to her on the bed. “I wanted to talk. About today, I mean. Is everything okay?” Piper reached for the radio and turned the volume dial down. She sighed heavily, shaking her head.

“She was so young, Blue.”

Nora thought back to the ambush, remembering how Piper seemed especially affected by the girl’s death. Her expression had been hard to read as she stared at the body, but only now did it start to make sense. Did the girl remind her of Nat?

“I’m so sorry, Piper.” Nora reached for her hand, intertwining their fingers.

Piper squeezed Nora’s hand in response and tilted her head down. “Why did she run out into the open like that? She should have known that it was too risky.” A tear rolled down her cheek. “Did she not think to wait until it was safe?”

Piper leaned her head on Nora’s shoulder as she began to weep. Nora suspected that her seemingly uncharacteristic distress may have stemmed from the recent separation from her sister when Piper started traveling for long periods of time with Nora. She would never be able to forgive herself if something happened to Nat and she hadn’t been there to protect her.

“I don’t know why she did that, Piper.” Nora tried to offer some type of answer. “She was scared. Maybe she had never been in a situation like that and decided to take action.”

“I know we could have done more,” Piper said. “I could have been taking the shot instead of wasting time trying to get her attention. Maybe she would’ve made it.”

“Piper.” Nora brought her free hand up to Piper’s chin and lifted her face. Her eyes were red and tears streamed down her cheeks. “Listen to me. This is _not_ your fault. There was nothing you and I could have done to keep us all from getting into more danger.”

“I could have tried harder.”

“Pipes…” Nora sighed. “You have such a loving heart and so much compassion for the people and the creatures of the Commonwealth. I’m convinced you could befriend a Deathclaw with your charm alone.”

 Piper chuckled weakly at the sentiment while Nora continued. “Is this about Nat? I figured something was off when we didn’t stop by Publick Occurrences to check on her tonight. I know you haven’t been able to see her very often since we started traveling together.”

This seemed to cause Piper great distress as she considered the question.

“I worry about her so much, knowing that she’s on her own now. I think about how she goes to school and comes home to an empty house wanting to see her sister who isn’t there, or if she doesn’t even want to see me at all.” She hesitated before she continued. “I can’t be there for her and it kills me to think that she could end up like our father.”

“Nat is lucky to have a big sister like you, Piper. Whenever I see you two together, I see how much love you both have for each other. It’s incredible.” Nora gently squeezed her hand. “I’m sure she worries about you too when we’re gone. But Nat is tough, just like you. She’s got a good head on her shoulders.”

Piper smiled faintly and blinked back tears. “She is pretty tough. She knows how to fight better than I do.”

“She’s not a little girl any more, Pipes,” Nora said softly. “She’s old enough to understand that you’re going out into the world to work for the greater good and to fight for the underdogs because that’s what you love to do.”

“I know, Blue,” Piper sighed again. “I know I won’t be able to protect her forever. I’m still learning that I can’t save everyone. I just want to be able to look back when it’s all said and done and know that we did everything in our power to help the people of the Commonwealth. It’s just so damn _difficult_ sometimes.”

Nora pulled Piper into a tight hug. “We’ll get through this together. I promise.”

“Thank you.” She whispered.

Nora smiled. “Maybe one day we could all go on a trip together. Nat’s never been to the glowing sea, right?”

Piper smirked, realizing Nora was joking and trying her best to cheer her up. “Could you imagine Nat in a giant hazmat suit?” They both laughed at the thought of Nat dressed in full protective gear, stumbling around and wildly flailing the flaps of the arms. The radio continued to play softly in the background as “The End of the World” faded out and Travis’s voice announced the next song.

“I hope all you folks of Diamond City are havin’ a good night tonight,” he crooned. “This next one goes out to all the ladies.”

Piper groaned as “Sixty Minute Man” played through the speaker. “I almost forgot this thing was still on.” she said. Reaching over to turn off the radio, Nora stopped her.

“Wait,” she paused. “I kinda like this one.”

“Seriously…?” Piper was skeptical. “I always thought you were an ‘Atom Bomb Baby’ type of girl.”

“Hey, what can I say? The Dominoes just really get me, you know?”

Now Piper knew that Nora was definitely joking with her. She shot her a sarcastic glance and playfully hit her with the straw pillow from the bed.

“Okay, I’m kidding.” Nora turned off the radio and leaned back to Piper, running her hand through her hair and kissing her forehead. “You should get some sleep. We’ll go visit Nat first thing in the morning.”

“I’d like that.” Piper nodded, wiping at the dried tears on her face and placing her head on the pillow. Nora pulled up the sheets and gently placed her hand on Piper’s.

“Take as much time as you need to think about things. I’ll always be here to listen whenever you need me. I love you.” Nora smiled at Piper and leaned down to kiss her.

When their lips parted, Piper’s eyes met Nora’s. Shakily, she nodded again. “I know you will. You’ve always been there for me. I love you so much.” Seeing the sincerity of Piper’s words in her expression, Nora’s heart swelled as she was overcome with affection. She decided to crawl underneath the covers next to her, wanting to stay with her until she fell asleep.

Piper welcomed the contact and gently caressed Nora’s face, staring deeply into her eyes.

Sanctuary could wait.

**Author's Note:**

> Obligatory Disclaimer: I own nothing, all credit to Bethesda and subsequent studios, artists, authors, etc.


End file.
